Milestones on the
Way to the PhD
Year 1:
Getting
Started
Year 2:
Getting
Immersed
Year 3:
Getting
Focused
Year 4+:
Getting
Done
Bethany R. Lee, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Associate Dean for Research
University of Maryland School of Social Work
blee@ssw.umaryland.edu
Preface
• Limitations: N=1
Your career goals and specific
research trajectory should
guide your journey.
Acknowledgments: Special thanks to my University of Maryland School of Social
Work colleagues who provided helpful suggestions for this presentation and my
Washington University in St. Louis doctoral student colleagues and mentors who
made my doctoral program a joy.
Year 1: Getting Started
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Successfully transition to a new identity
as a Social Work Scholar
Year
Getting
Year 1: 1:
Getting
StartedStarted
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Find 2-3 faculty in your program that
intrigue you;
• Join a research team;
• Identify key journals in your area;
Year
Getting
Year 1: 1:
Getting
StartedStarted
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Read grants your mentor or research
team has received;
Year
Getting
Year 1: 1:
Getting
StartedStarted
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Attend a conference;
• Find a mentor or “academic sibling” in
your program who you can learn from;
Year 2: Getting Immersed
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
• Complete (or nearly) required
coursework.
• Finalize your area of interest;
• Start to explore research
focus/topic that will engage
you through dissertation and
beyond;
Networking
Year 2: Getting Immersed
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Identify a potential dissertation advisor;
• Co-author a paper;
• Develop an idea for a publication that
you can lead;
Year 2: Getting Immersed
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Explore dissertation funding sources;
• Pay attention to deadlines &
requirements;
Year 2: Getting Immersed
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Submit an abstract to a conference;
• Consider summer training workshops;
• Attend job talks at your program;
Year 3: Getting Focused
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Complete comprehensive exam (if
applicable);
• Teach a course independently (if
applicable);
Year 3: Getting Focused
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Develop & defend dissertation proposal;
• Submit a journal article for publication;
Year 3: Getting Focused
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Submit a dissertation grant or two (or 3
if you are Byron Powell);
“Life is a journey, not a destination.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Year 3: Getting Focused
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Lead poster or paper presentation at
national conference;
• Seek career advice from academic
sibling(s)/mentors;
• Seek out new PhD student to mentor;
Year 4+: Getting Done
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
• Defend Dissertation;
• Land a job!
Networking
Year 4+: Getting Done
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Focus on dissertation:
•
•
Completion;
Publications;
• Consider how to continue partnering on
existing projects;
• Prepare job market materials:
• CV
• References
• Research Statement
• Teaching Statement
Year 4+: Getting Done
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Become familiar with funding sources for
post-docs or early career opportunities;
• Weigh the value of remaining longer in
program (to resubmit grant, build
research or teaching skills) vs. getting a
job
Year 4+: Getting Done
Formal
Milestone
Productivity
Grantsmanship
Networking
• Develop a support group for job market
or dissertation writing;
• Learn about academic job opportunities
from your mentors/colleagues at other
schools;
• Consider non-academic job options;
A Bucket List for Doctoral Students
 Participate in a research
project from
conceptualization to
dissemination;
 Learn more than one
quantitative software
program;
 Learn at least one
qualitative software
program;
 Find a reference
management program you
like and stick with it;
 Attend a conference
outside of your main
discipline;
 Find a teaching mentor in
your home program;
 Find a research mentor
outside your home
program;
 Make friends with a
student at another School;
 Learn time management
tools that work for you;
 Look for ways to give
back;
Thanks
for
your
Interest
... And
enjoy the
journey!